The present invention relates to the field of microelectronic device fabrication, and more particularly to forming the conductive paths from the bonding contacts of a semiconductor integrated circuit to the contacts of the integrated circuit package.
In microelectronic device fabrication, the integrated circuit is first attached to a package cavity. The bonding contacts on the integrated circuit must then be attached to the contacts of the package in order to provide electrical connection to the rest of the circuit. Currently, integrated circuit contacts are bonded to their package contacts by processes like compression or thermal bonding. In these processes, fine, about 0.001 inch in diameter, aluminum or gold contacts are attached to the contacts on the integrated circuit and the contacts on the package. Equipment to perform these processes is expensive and manual fabrication, which must be performed under magnification, is time consuming. Automated equipment is even more expensive.
Wire bonding is an unreliable process since the wire can be easily pulled loose from the contact or broken by mishandling, vibration or shock. Some manufacturers, in an effort to increase reliability, test each or a percentage of the wire bonds to ensure that the bond has a certain minimum bond strength. This only adds to the fabrication cost. Furthermore, the integrated circuit itself is subject to damage from mishandling, vibration or shock.